1. Field of Present Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate, in general, to networking. More specifically, the embodiments of the present invention relate to methods and systems for obviation of redundant actions in a network.
2. Description of the Background Art
In a typical network, data is transferred between network devices. Examples of network devices include personal computers, servers, mobile phones, etc. Examples of networks include Local Area Networks (LANs), Wide Area Networks (WANs), Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs), and the Internet. Since data transferred across such networks may be accessed by unauthorized users, it is preferred to transfer data in an encrypted form. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be used for a secure transfer of data, which can also be transferred in an encrypted form in the VPN. The VPN is a network that uses a public network, like the Internet, to connect remote sites or users. These sites are herein referred to as VPN sites. In a typical VPN, only specified users are allowed to access the data transferred in the VPN. This access can be provided on the basis of a user identification code and password. Security mechanisms, such as authentication and encryption, are used to create a secure tunnel between two VPN sites. Such secure tunnels facilitate secure transfer of data within a VPN.
Further, a VPN site includes a security device, such as a firewall, to control access. Firewalls enforce security actions on incoming and outgoing data packets, based on certain policies defined within the VPN site. These policies include rules on the basis of which certain actions are performed on the incoming and the outgoing data packets.
It can be possible for these policies to be uniform among all the VPN sites within a VPN. This can result in the same action being performed by more than one VPN site. For example, the action can be first performed on the outgoing data packets when they are inspected by the transmitting VPN site's firewall. Further, the same data packets enter a receiving VPN site, where its firewall can enforce the same action.
Enforcing the same action more than once on a data packet makes the action redundant. The enforcement of repeated redundant actions results in wastage of time and other resources, and places unnecessary burden on the system that is performing these redundant actions.